1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retractable covering for arced windows. More specifically, the invention is a pleated fan covering for arced windows which can be remotely operated by a pull cord for opening and closing the covering.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many new buildings and homes are designed with arced windows or palladian style windows and doors. Today there exist several types of coverings for arced windows, but they tend to be either permanently fixed and not retractable or they are removable. There do exist several retractable style arced window covers. The current retractable style arced window covers lack aesthetic appeal due to their retractable design which can severely diminish their value as a decorative item. Other current retractable style arced window covers use complex and inefficient mechanisms to accomplish their goal.
Consequently there is a need for a retractable arced window cover that can be remotely operated to open or close. The covering must be designed to hide the mechanical elements of the invention and to hide the covering when the covering is in the retracted position in order to give it an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The covering should be capable of preventing the passage of direct sunlight while the covering is in the expanded position and should protect the privacy of the person using the window covering. Furthermore, the covering should accomplish these goals using a simple mechanical structure which requires low-cost and lightweight materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,195, issued on Oct. 13, 1987, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,380, issued on Oct. 11, 1988, to Lance Lester describe a blind for use in an arched window which includes a U-shaped frame with two sets of blades that fan out of either side of the frame and meet at the top where they are latched together to hold the blind in place. The patents to Lester fail to describe a blind that can be remotely operated and they fail to describe a blind that is designed to hide the mechanical elements of the invention in order to give it an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,939, issued on Apr. 30, 1991, to William J. King describes an arched window blind formed of a fan-folded material that uses a central transmission mechanism for opening and closing the blind. The patent to King describes a blind which uses a complex mechanical structure to achieve a retractable design.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,418, issued on Sep. 3, 1991, to Nadine G. Donahue describes an arch-shaped window treatment having a frame and a flexible fabric mounted thereon. The patent to Donahue fails to describe a retractable arced window covering.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,889, issued on Jun. 2, 1991, to David G. Coe describes an arched window blind constructed to multiple slats strung together which pivot either manually or mechanically from a rigid base to cover the window. The patent to Coe has relatively complex structure and appears to fail to cover the entire arced window.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,996, issued on Nov. 3, 1992, to Ron Fleishman et al. describes a fan-type arched window covering having compression plates which engage the opposed sides of the radial pleats to partially compress and give rigidity to the pleats and enable adjustment of the pleats to accommodate irregularities in the window casing with the covering standing on its own without top brackets. The patent to Fleishman et al. does not describe a window covering which can be folded or opened.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,912, issued on Dec. 8, 1992, to Ralph Jelic et al. describes an operable arched window blind having a pleated fabric configuration. The patent to Jelic et al. fails to describe a blind that is designed to hide all the mechanical elements of the invention in order to give it an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Additionally, the pivoting means for the blind described in the patent to Jelic et al. has the potential of causing problems during repeated pivoting of the blind if the first and second hinge segments slide relative to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,092, issued on Feb. 2, 1993, to Ralph Jelic describes an operable arched window blind with a pull cord assembly for opening and closing the blind. The patent to Jelic fails to describe a blind that can hide the covering when the covering is in the retracted position in order to give it an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Additionally, the pivoting means for the blind described in the patent to Jelic has the potential of causing problems during repeated pivoting of the blind if the first and second hinge segments slide relative to each other.
German Patent Application No. 2,514,701 (A1), published on Oct. 14, 1976, describes a curtain-like screen for windows or for use as room dividers having a series of strip-like elements attached to a stiff common guide member. PCT International Publication No. WO 91/00408, published on Jan. 10, 1991, describes a manual deployment apparatus for specially pleated or multi-cellular window coverings including uniquely hinged mounting rails and single continuous strand pull cords. Both patent applications fail to describe a window covering device that can hide the covering when the covering is in the retracted position in order to give it an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
European Patent Application No. 240,065 (A1), published on Oct. 7, 1987, describes a folding curtain screen structure for a triangular window having pull cords which when operated a horizontal lower bar rises until it becomes flush with an upper bar thereby folding the screening material. The European patent application fails to describe an arced window covering.
Other relevant patents include U.S. Pat. No. 1,609,877, issued Dec. 7, 1926 J. M. Kendall, U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,436, issued Jun. 19, 1990, U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,661, issued Sep. 24, 1991 to Sikkema, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,329, issued Dec. 17, 1996 to L. J. Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,982, issued Apr. 29, 1997, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,982, issued Sep. 2, 1997 to M. L. Rosenblatt.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a retractable arced window covering solving the aforementioned problems is desired.